Artist Spotlight #65 – Rob Bridges

Young Percival was a proper young rabbit, but not without a streak of the imp dancing through him. Thus it was on such a overcast fallish day that he found Fox asleep down by the Brine river, sacked out with a flask of Elderberry juice nearby.

Feeling a sport, Percival took to the clay of the riverbank to make a mask off of the sleeping Fox, so decorating it and creating much mischief around town startling various small and excitable creatures. Of course, when Fox found out about these antics he was not pleased one bit. Foxes are predisposed to cunning trickery themselves, ( and disdain being made the hind end of jokes) and so made haste to the young rabbit’s burrow with sleeves rolled up. But that is another tale altogether…

What do you do?I illustrate scenes inspired by fairytales and imagined stories.

Why do you do it?Because I have to. There is an innate need in me to create these images from my imagination. I get great satisfaction out of it.

Thigpen & the Feline

A dialogue concerning the Antecedent of which is ceiling wax. From the collection: A Wholly Imaginative Tale of the Iron Screw

Who are your influences?My tastes run from Arthur Rankham, Gustaf Tenggren, Kay Nielson and Edward Gorey, all the way to current artists such as Maurice Sendak, Jan Brett and Ana Juan (her Night Eater book is incredible).

What inspires your work?Dreams, old tales, mystery and magical realism. Images and inspiration come to me randomly, usually when I am running (I am an avid runner) or when I am alone.

Napoleon of the Small Things

I’ve sometimes wondered where my things go. A misplaced set of car keys, my favorite pair of winter socks, the right sock gone missing after placed within my dresser drawers. I now know that it is not so much faulty memory nor my misplacing such things… as I sat at my drawing table the other night, from the corner of my eye,

a small being scampered across my floor. This is my recollection as best I can remember it.

What do you like?Spending time with my family. Common courtesy. Distance running through rolling horse farm country where I love unfettered creative vision. I have a favourite music video I’ve been watching recently by Ane Brun called “Do You Remember?”.

What don’t you like?My list is very long for this one…! One thing I don’t like is not getting enough sleep.